Zenbu Blog
Kanazawa Weekend
In an attempt to escape Kyoto’s increasingly insane heat in Early August a couple of years back we decided to take a mini-break to gorgeous Kanazawa. Had we known it was in the middle of a heatwave and it would feel every bit as hot and humid […]
New Karasuma Izakaya
I’m painfully aware of how fortunate I am to travel and eat for work. I get to chow down in some of the most wonderful establishments around the globe. Mostly in Japan these days. Whether I’m researching for my tours, actually hosting my tours or having […]
Wine and Confit Ikariya Shokudou
It’s that time of year when Kyoto-ites make the most of the summer heat by eating in the open air, over the ‘cool’ river. The many, many restaurants that line the western edge of the Kamogawa (Kamo river) construct platforms (yuka) that extend from their restaurants […]
Kyoto Meanderings. No. 6
To the west of the city’s heart lies Senbon Dori. Like most of Kyoto’s major streets it runs from one end of the city grid to the other – in this case North to South. It is the main vein of an area rarely visited by […]
% Arabica Coffee Kyoto
I stumbled across % Arabica early in 2015. Well it wasn’t exactly a stumble, I’d spied the newish coffee hotspot sometime in 2014 it just took me a while to get back there. Boy it was worth the wait. Their brew is fantastic. Serious stuff. The […]
Heian Jingu in April
Visually Japan really does change so much from month to month – I recently posted some images from Heian Jingu in May. Working a little backwards – here’s an idea of what it looks like in April – when the sakura (cherry blossom) are starting to bloom and […]
Narisawa
About a year and a half ago I was honoured assist the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and Tokyo Convention and Visitors Bureau in promoting Tokyo Travel and Food to media and travel folk. Proceedings lasted about a week and concluded with a “stage performance” at Darling Harbour […]
Nara. A path less wandered.
Just a hop, skip and a jump away from my ‘home away from home’ Kyoto town is the charming city of Nara. Although famous for its history, giant Buddha, Kasuga Shrine and free roaming deer I often prefer to leave those with the first time visitors […]
Motoi
Each time I visit Motoi I love it just that little bit more. Chef Motoi Maeda and his wife run this special occasion restaurant with spectacular food and service in a stylishly refurbed, traditional Japanese home in Kyoto city. There is a private room in the adjacent kura […]
Kaiseki Who?
This is one of my favourite Kaiseki restaurants. And it’s not in Kyoto (shock, horror..) I so wish I could share the name with you – but if I did I’d have to kill you. However, that doesn’t mean I can’t SHOW you… it is […]
